Amandine
This first novel by bestselling author Marlena De Blasi takes us on a wondrous journey of love and longing and reveals how deeply rooted is our need to belong.
Sent to a French orphanage as an infant, Amandine grows up knowing nothing of her family. Although she is raised by Solange, a warm and affectionate young woman, she nonetheless longs for her real mother. Unknown to Amandine, her grandmother, the Countess Valeska, has forbidden anyone from disclosing her true origins. She is never to know she was born out of wedlock and that her mother belongs to one of Poland’s oldest and noblest aristocratic families. The Countess has convinced herself she is acting out of love. To spare her delicate Andzelika more shame, she tells her the child has died. And yet, she leaves with the child one compelling clue.
Although Amandine is born in 1931, it is the early 1940s that form the most dramatic backdrop of the story. When Solange and Amandine leave the convent for a two-day journey to Solange’s childhood home, they unknowingly begin a perilous and seemingly unending trip across German-occupied France. But this is not a story about the horrors of war, even though they encounter them. Ultimately it is a story of hope, determination, and even the heroic kindness of a few strangers.
Marlena De Blasi has given us a timeless tale of the power of love. Her deep understanding of Polish society and culture endow her story with unquestionable authenticity. Her storytelling talent is nothing short of brilliant. I will leave it to you to discover for yourself how mother and daughter are finally reunited. I promise you will not be disappointed.
